The Open Space process is an opportunity for participants to gather together, to share ideas and encourage one another and to discuss various aspects of a big question or statement – in our case ‘to shape the Congregational Federation for the future’.

But what is an open space event? It is a structure for holding meetings that has been developed to support groups to self-organise and collaborate around any question of shared concern.

It gives all participants the chance to propose starting points for conversations, to take part in any of those conversations and move between them. It is particularly effective for dealing with complex issues where diverse views are present. In our context it will be underpinned by prayer. Most importantly there are no wrong questions and no wrong answers.

All points raised will be collated by the pre-Council group to present to Council on Friday 26th of April 2019.

A full report and any proposals which may arise from this process will then be prepared for Assembly in May.